Designer Forum Show Moving to Flatotel

The men's trade show will leave its long-time home at the Warwick Hotel in July.

The men’s trade show, which was the successor to the Haberdashery, will leave its long-time home at the Warwick Hotel in July. Its new venue will be the Flatotel at 135 West 52nd Street.

“It’s two blocks away from the Warwick,” said show director Natalie Alexander. “It has increased showroom space, a huge ballroom and the suites are double the size. And we can also offer the vendors a lower rate. Combine all of this, and it was a no-brainer.”

The Designer Forum and the Haberdashery had been at the Warwick for about eight years, she said, but that hotel is remodeling and putting more emphasis on weddings than commercial events.

At Flatotel, vendors will still have the choice to exhibit in a suite or in the ballroom. “A lot of our guys like to show privately,” Alexander said, “and having a suite also allows the [sales reps] to have a place to stay if they’re from out of town.”

Another benefit, she said, is that the Flatotel offers all-suite floors, unlike the Warwick, where the suites and regular rooms were on the same floor, forcing buyers to make multiple stops on several floors. “We can stack the show on consecutive floors,” she said.

Alexander said there were 65 vendors at the last show in January and she is “hoping to have at least the same number” after the relocation. The show will run July 16 to 19.